Susquehanna University Presents Annual Lecture in Ethics

SELINSGROVE—Karen Bohlin, senior scholar at Boston University’s Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character (CAEC), will deliver a free talk about ethics in education as recipient of Susquehanna University’s Edward S. and Rita Schmidt Lectureship in Ethics. The lecture will be held Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Stretansky Concert Hall and is open to the public.

Bohlin currently serves as head of the Montrose School in Medfield, Mass. Previously she served as executive director of the CAEC and assistant professor of education at Boston University’s School of Education. She is co-author with Kevin Ryan of the widely acclaimed book, “Building Character in Schools” (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999) and its companion professional development handbook, “The Building Character in Schools Resource Guide” (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001). Her most recent book is “Teaching Character Education Through Literature: Awakening the Moral Imagination in Secondary Classrooms” (London: Routledge, 2005).

A former high school English teacher, Bohlin has served as a member of the National Schools of Character Blue Ribbon Panel, the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), the National Commission on Character Education, and the National Experts Panel on Character Education in High Schools. A former guest on National Public Radio’s “Merrow Report” and NBC’s “The Early Show,” she has also been interviewed for Parents Magazine, US News and World Report, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Newsweek and Ladies’ Home Journal.

Each year, Susquehanna brings a distinguished leader or scholar to the university to discuss current topics of interest in ethics. The goal of the lectureship is to highlight ethical issues among varying disciplines and encourage student and faculty exploration into these issues. According to David Kaszuba, associate professor of communications and a member of the Schmidt Lectureship in Ethics Planning Committee, the committee was interested in a speaker that represented this year’s university theme, “What Does It Mean to Be Educated?”

“It's always the hope of our sponsor, SU alumnus Ed Schmidt, that the lecture encourages dialogue among students and faculty about some area of ethics,” said Kaszuba. “So, while we obviously hope people attend the lecture, the bigger hope is that the lecture content filters down into subsequent discussions—whether formally, in classes, or informally, while folks eat lunch or walk across campus.”

The lectureship was established by Edward R. Schmidt, SU Class of ’69. A member of the board of trustees, Schmidt instituted the lectureship in honor of his parents, Edward S. Schmidt and Rita Schmidt of Hatboro, Pa., as recognition that the first teachers of ethics and moral behavior are parents.

Founded in 1858, Susquehanna University is a national liberal arts college that prepares students for achievement, leadership and service in a diverse, interconnected world. Academic excellence, study away and service learning, student-faculty collaboration, and rich opportunities for creative and personal growth are hallmarks of a Susquehanna University education. Susquehanna students come from 36 states and 13 countries, and more than 90 percent of them find jobs or pursue graduate study within six months of graduation. The university is located in central Pennsylvania, in the town of Selinsgrove, along the banks of the scenic Susquehanna River and about three hours from major East Coast cultural, financial and recreational centers. For more information, visit www.susqu.edu.